First responder who saved kitten after fire adopts him

Kitten found after fire adopted by rescuer

The kitten was found in a field in Coon Rapids as first responders were responding to a grass fire at a homeless encampment. Coon Rapids Community Officer Eric Prindle brought the kitten to the Animal Humane Society in Coon Rapids were veterinarians weren’t sure if he would survive his injuries. Officer Prindle felt such a strong connection with the kitten, named JJ, he decided to adopt the cat after his original owner decided she could not properly care for his injuries.

COON RAPIDS, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Coon Rapids Community Service officer who brought a badly injured kitten to the Animal Humane Society found a special connection and decided to officially adopt the cat.

Kitten survives fire in Coon Rapids

The backstory:

In February, Coon Rapids Community Service Officer Eric Prindle was called out to a grass fire in a field in Coon Rapids. He says the fire started at a homeless encampment. Some of the firefighters on the scene found a small, badly injured kitten in the field. The cat belonged to someone living in the encampment.

"I went and looked at it and realized we need to get this thing care right away," Officer Prindle said.

Officer Prindle took the cat to the Animal Humane Society in Coon Rapids to get treatment and said he was worried the kitten, named JJ, wouldn’t survive.

"It was one of those situations where I was very concerned he wasn’t going to make it," Dr. Kate Farmer, a veterinarian with the Animal Humane Society, said.

Dr. Farmer says JJ’s face was badly burned. He had injuries around his eyes, his whiskers had been burned off, large portions of his ears were burned off and his paws were also injured in the fire.

"He was kind of a long shot, but we wanted to give him a chance," Dr. Farmer said.

Officer Prindle says he kept visiting JJ while he was making his recovery. He said something about their connection kept him coming back to see the little cat.

"I think because it was a kitten and, you know, just kind of maybe helpless. I don’t know. I don’t know why. He just touched me," Prindle said.

After a few weeks, as JJ got stronger, Officer Prindle and his wife decided to adopt JJ and bring him home for good.

"He’s adjusting real good," Prindle said.  "Watching his progress through the whole thing was just amazing."

JJ the kitten is thriving in his new home

A cat that was saved from a fire has been adopted by its rescuer.  (Supplied)

What's next:

JJ has been adjusting well to life with the Prindles. Besides needing some ointment for some of the scars around his eye, he lives a normal life as a cat. His whiskers are starting to grow back, his paws are functional and besides some potential vision issues, he’s living a fulfilling life.

"It was amazing actually to see his remarkable capacity to heal and his emotional resilience to get through something that must have been awful," Dr. Farmer said.

JJ now shares a home with a dog named Twinkie, who Officer Prindle says he gets along with.

What you can do:

The Animal Humane Society provides care to animals like JJ through donations. On Saturday, May 3, the Animal Humane Society is hosting their annual fundraiser, Walk for Animals.